Now That I've Found You
by Julianne Light
Summary: Hermione Granger goes back to England, after two years in Australia, with every intention of mending her broken heart and wash her hands of any kind of man. It won't last long though, because Draco Malfoy knows exactly how to glue the pieces back together and steal it from her. Or maybe she gives it to him willingly. Dramione, Modern-Muggle AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

 **So, this story is a modern Muggle AU. Some of the characters would be OOC, especially Draco. If that's not your cup of tea, then I'm sorry.**

 **I'm also changing their year of birth, because the technology around that time was a little outdated, don't you think? So I'm adding ten years to their birth. Just to clarify and avoid confusions.**

 **So yea, I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

 _February, 201_ _3_

 _Hermione,_

 _I'm so sorry,_  
 _I need to go_  
 _I'm so bloody confused and I need some space to figure things out_  
 _I'm leaving for Italy as you read this note_  
 _Go back to London with your parents, Hermione_

 _Please forgive me,_  
 _Blaise_

Hermione read the note in her hand for the third time. Tears slowly descended to her cheeks as the words registered in her mind. ' _He left_ ' played over and over in her chaotic mind. _He left_.

It wasn't that she was in love with him. They simply hadn't been together for that long yet for the deep feeling to truly manifest in her heart. But she did care about him. And now, now she just couldn't believe the cheek of the bastard. _How dare he?!_ After a month of seeing each other, he left her for no apparent reason. Not back in his flat, not stayed in the city, not even in the country. No, he ran all the way to Italy.

And it wasn't just the month they spent dating either, it was also three months of pure friendship after they met the first time and five months of wooing until she finally gave in and agreed to go out with him. Those troubles he went through just to get her to agree for a date and he didn't even have the decency of talking about it to her directly. He didn't even give her a call. Oh no, he left her a note; one measly note saying that he needed to figure things out. Well, he better left this country already, before she _figured out_ how to track him down and castrated him.

* * *

Hermione had been in Australia for the last two years. She left England immediately after finishing university. Her father had gotten a transfer offer from the company he worked at to one of the countries available for two years. Her parents immediately chose Australia; it's been on their wish list for as long as she remembered—to visit Australia.

Hermione was offered the choice of staying there, in London, or moving with her parents. They wanted her to go of course, but she was an adult, hardly needing her parents to make a decision for her. She thought long and hard about what she wanted, but ultimately decided to join her parents. She'd inherited her parents' eagerness to experience new things.

Besides, there wasn't much left here. She had Harry and Ron, her best friends, but that's as far as it went. No job yet, and no boyfriend. She could still communicate with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys; technology was a wonderful thing. So, she packed her suitcase and said goodbye to Harry and the Weasleys.

She settled in Australia, still in her parents' new house, and collected the information on the universities around the city. She wanted to advance her education. She just loved to learn; she read anything and everything. It would just be a waste to just sit around doing nothing for two years or doing underrated jobs because of the lack of qualified degree and/or experience.

Eventually, Hermione decided to go to one of the universities in Brisbane and took mastery in Human Resource (HR) Management. The course would last for two years, that is, if she wasn't lazy. And Hermione Granger certainly wasn't who you would call lazy.

* * *

Hermione met Blaise nine months ago. She was enjoying her meal at the little café near her flat when someone walked in hurried steps towards her and suddenly drop down to crawl under her table. She nearly shrieked out of mortification because she was wearing a skirt. She quickly clamped her legs shut and glared at the man. He was holding a finger to his mouth. Right then, a man with arms the size of her thighs came in the café and looked around. She figured he was the one looking for the git under table. Hermione contemplated her options; she could call him out and let him get crushed by the very pissed off looking bloke, or she could simply let him be. She once again stole a glance at the git, then at the human bulldozer. Four seconds and careful deliberations later, she decided that she was in a fairly good mood, so she would just let him be. Satisfied with this, she continued to eat without a care in the world.

Not long after, the man with bulky muscles left the café in a huff. The git then went out from under the table and took a seat before her. She took a good look at him and noticed that he was a handsome guy with dark eyes and hair, olive skin and broad shoulder. He looked to be her age too.

"Thank you, Miss-?" he looked at her quizzically.

"Granger" She said simply.

He smiled. "I'm Blaise Zabini. Thank you Miss Granger, you saved me from a black eye… or a damaged kidney. Did you see his arm?" He joked. From his accent, she figured he was British too.

"I did. What did you do to him anyway?"

"Ah, a fellow British" he stated, smiling. "I flirted with his girlfriend. She was very pretty, you see. I might or might not almost kiss said girlfriend too. In my defense, if I knew she had a boyfriend looking like that, I wouldn't go after her" he said.

"Did you know if she had a boyfriend at all?"

"Well, she did say she was with someone, but she didn't protest much. So I thought, why not? And then the human bulldozer came out of nowhere and next thing I knew, I ran for my life" he recounted, grinning at her. _Why not indeed_ , she thought wryly.

Hermione just rolled her eyes. She knew this kind of guy. She had been a victim of one herself.

"To express my gratitude, how about I pay for the meal?" He offered, nodding at her nearly empty plate and cup of coffee.

She declined of course. She didn't know him, and she wasn't in the habit of letting a stranger pay for her meals. She just wanted to go home and had a nice bubble bath, while reading the new novel she just bought at the bookstore near the café. But the guy, _Blaise_ , insisted. As he said, she saved him from a certain damaged kidney. He then ordered a light meal for himself and ate while talking to her. He asked which part of England she came from, what she was doing in Australia, and such.

Since that day, they met regularly at least once a week. At first, he would just randomly show up when Hermione was at the café or the bookstore. He claimed he just saw Hermione and decided to join her. But after the fourth time, they made an appointment for lunch the next day. They usually just had lunch at the café. Hermione didn't mind, he was fun to be around, if a little flirtatious. Well, he was a womanizer. He flirted with every woman he met and had a date with different women every few days. Not her business though.

They were having their usual lunch, when Blaise looked at her seriously and said, "Go on a date with me."

Hermione stopped pushing her food around her plate and looked up. She didn't know what to make of it, thinking that surely he was joking. She waited for him to snicker at her stunned face, telling her that she looked silly—anything, but he kept staring at her intently, giving her the impression that he was indeed serious.

"What?" she asked.

"Go out with me, Hermione. Let me take you to a dinner," he took her hand, "I like you. I'd like to see if we work just as well in a romantic sense" he finished, still staring at her.

When she was absolutely sure that he was serious, she gave a flat no. Just a couple of weeks ago, he went on a date with a busty redhead he met at a bar. A week before that, a tall blonde. And so the list went on and on. They even needed to reschedule their meeting a few times because Blaise stupidly promised the women a lunch date on their assigned get together. So of course Hermione didn't want to be on the long list of Blaise-Zabini's-love-trap victim.

Although if she thought about it, he seemed a bit off this past few weeks. His date was far in between and he hadn't even mention any woman in about two weeks. A few times she caught him looking at her strangely. She didn't pay it any mind though, just chalked it up as his usual Blaise Zabini's oddness.

She certainly wasn't the kind of woman Blaise normally went on dates with. Sure, Hermione knew she was pretty. She wasn't vain, but not insecure either.

She didn't have the hourglass figure, but she certainly was no board. She had the right proportion in every body part. Her breasts and arse weren't overly large, but they definitely weren't lacking. She was petite, but with a pair of toned and long, slender legs. Her curly brown hair that in her early years looked wild and had a life of its own, now had become beautiful, gentle waves that reached her hip—the effect of the intense treatment she took and extra care she was still taking. Her chocolate eyes gave her an innocent look. Her cute button nose and slightly pouty lips were well proportioned. Add those with the small splattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose, and people easily call her beautiful.

Still, she didn't see herself as Blaise's kind of girl. She was just a bookworm who didn't wear tight and minimal clothing, couldn't flirt to save her life, and didn't do casual dating. She was a virgin for Heaven's sake. _She bet none of his conquest was a virgin._

Hermione wasn't a prude by any means, and didn't mean to wait for marriage either. She just wanted to be completely and utterly in love with the man she eventually gave all of herself to. She didn't want to repeat the last incident where she got her heart broken by some arsehole who only was after her knickers. Luckily, she caught him before it was too late. The damage was already done, though. It was hard for her to trust men after that. Especially this kind of man.

* * *

After that afternoon, Blaise proved to be very persistent indeed. He stopped going on dates with every women he met, completely. He still met Hermione regularly and was constantly asking her for a date. She was flattered—Blaise Zabini was surely what they considered a catch. But she always said no, she just didn't want to pick up pieces after he inevitably broke her heart.

Eventually though, it was his persistence and determination that won Hermione over. He stopped his womanizing ways, was being a complete gentleman, and she couldn't say she didn't enjoy the attention he gave her. All this time, she held him at arms length because she didn't want to fall for him. But her guards were slowly broken down by him and she knew it.

"Go on a date with me," he asked her one day—though nowadays, it sounded more like a command. Always the same sentence every day.

"Why?" she cocked her head to the side, studying him. She never before asked him why, always changed the subject immediately or just rolled her eyes.

"Why what?" He asked back, confused.

"Why Blaise, why do you want to go on a date with a bookworm like me? Why are you so determined? Why don't you just go back chasing those bimbos who are so desperate for your attention they want to kill me with their eyes every time they see me with you? Just why?"

He snickered a little at the last part—and after considering the question, he looked down at her, taking her right hand and began explaining, "Hermione, I was always serious when I asked you for a date. I've been attracted to you since our earlier meetings. You are different from those bimbos you were talking about. Just like a breath of fresh air for a guy like me," he took a deep breath, before continuing "Please Hermione, give me chance. I'd like to see where this goes. I'll prove to you that we can be good together," he looked at her expectantly.

The truth was, Hermione respected him more for his determination on asking her out. Five months was no short time to woo someone. And it didn't hurt that he was very good looking. Maybe she even felt slight affection to him. All those reason combined, and Hermione blurted a yes. She just hoped this one didn't end up in disaster.

They went on their first date three days later. It was the standard date, they had a dinner at a restaurant—a very grand restaurant. It was _nice_. _J_ _ust nice_. Truthfully, she was a little disappointed. It was like he didn't know her at all. Those bimbos might be a little too happy with dinner in an upscale restaurant, but not her. Everyone who knew her would know that Hermione Granger didn't like anything excessive. She preferred their favorite little café to a massive restaurant. Not to mention she felt inadequate about her appearance even though Blaise assured her that she looked pretty. But Hermione was patient. She didn't want to write him off because of one "just nice" date.

Thankfully though, Blaise seemed to put more thought into the date the longer they were together. Last week, they went to the beach where they first met and had a simple picnic in a secluded corner, watching sunset. It was great, and Hermione started to think that it was good they gave it a go, because she liked him a lot. If given enough time, she thought she could fall in love with him.

In hindsight, she could clearly see some cracks in the wall which she previously overlooked because she thought they were happy. He would do something sweet, and then froze and got closed off, like he was emotionally stopping himself from becoming too close to her. She knew from what he told her that he had never been in a serious relationship before. It was because of his mother, who liked to play with men's heart and didn't give Blaise enough love, making him think that all women were the same and he had to guard himself from them. Until he met Hermione, that is. Like he said, she was _different_. Now she just hoped she wasn't used as his lab rat at his relationship attempt.

 _They were looking at little girl playing hide and seek with her father at the park. Her father obviously didn't try that hard, and Hermione smiled_ _when_ _the girl found her father and then he swung her around before putting her on his shoulder, making the little girl laugh. The scene was very sweet_ _._

 _"Aren't they just adorable, Blaise? Nothing is quite as precious as a baby girl and their daddy" Hermione said, still smiling._

 _"Yes," he answered simply, smiling too,_ _but his focus was the girl beside him_ _. He then kissed her on the forehead and then froze, like he didn't mean to, and didn't quite know what to do next. She wouldn't be surprised if this was the first time he did things like this with a woman. He kissed, he snogged, he had sex. He didn't smile and kissed a girl's forehead in an innocent way._ _Hermione_ _decided to set his nerves at ease and just smiled at him._

Again:

 _"Blaise, do you want to meet my parents?"_

 _He immediately_ _stopped playing with his phone and_ _tensed up, "What? Why?"_

 _"As my boyfriend, of course. You are, aren't you?" she asked hesitantly. It only made him tensed up some more._

 _"Yes.. Uh, yes of course. But I don't know why I should be meeting your parents now. Isn't it a little early?"_

 _"Well, we've known each other long enough. And you certainly pursued me for a while before I gave you an okay," she_ _answered_ _, still hesitant. "Besides, we're moving back to England in two weeks Blaise, why wouldn't my parents want to meet the guy their daughter brought back home?"_

 _"I don't know, Hermione. Maybe we should wait for a bit before meeting your parents. I still think it's too early is all_ _,_ _"_ _he said with uncomfortable look on his handsome face, trying and failing to reassure her—and maybe himself._

 _"Okay," she said simply, and then went to busy herself tidying her files on the table to mask her disappointment._

It wasn't that different from the topic of his mother. Whenever she asked about her to Blaise, he immediately changed the subject. He never wanted to talk about her. She just gathered from their many conversations that she was a cold mother towards Blaise. She also was called the Black Widow—her husbands from every marriage were mysteriously mixed up in accidents and passed away, leaving her with mountains of money.

* * *

Last night, they ordered a take out and had a quiet night-in in her flat. It was the first time Blaise came into her flat. Usually he just picked her up for a date or drove her home.

They had been talking about moving back to England the past few weeks. Before Hermione said yes to the date offer, she told Blaise that she probably was going to move back to England with parents shortly. Her father's contract here was ending and she just finished her mastery. He said it was okay. He said he was going back with her since England was his home too and it wasn't like he had a job here. He was just travelling when he met her. Later, when he decided to pursue her, he figured he would stay a few more months. This was the fifth country he visited. His mother were so loaded from her many marriages, he didn't need to work a day in his life.

 _The night_ _wa_ _s perfect,_ she thought. They ate dinner and were talking about their plan to go back to London in just a few days. The atmosphere was intimate, meaning warm and comfortable. They talked well past midnight, and then fell asleep on the couch.

Hermione was happy when she woke up in the morning. When she saw that Blaise wasn't with her, she thought nothing of it. When she called his name and he didn't come or even answer, she was confused— _didn't he want to stay for breakfast?_ But when she saw the note on the coffee table she had initially overlooked and then quickly read it, the confusion turned into a mix of anger and sadness. _Italy,_ she thought over and over. _Italy, his mother's home._

She didn't know what to think. She thought they were good together, she thought he was sure of his feelings for her. It was him who excessively chasing her, after all, not the other way around. _You are different_ _,_ he said. _Different my arse_. _He was just sore tha_ _t she_ _was actively rejecting him_ , she thought viciously. Ugh, she felt so stupid. And what she hated the most was people making her feel stupid. He better made himself scarce from now on, or he would know why you just didn't mess with Hermione Granger's heart. God, she was glad they hadn't gone all the way in their relationship yet, she could dance on the dinner table right now. At least it was a victory for her. Not that she was thinking about it, because she certainly didn't feel love for him yet. She was just happy to avoid the complete heartbreak and regret on her part.

Now she just couldn't stop crying either. Again, it wasn't just him. It was every failed relationship she had with men in general. She just couldn't find the right man for herself. It was always something or the other. Back in school, Hermione and Ron tried their hands on relationship. It was working for a while. They were content. It wasn't until a couple of months later, that they noticed they lacked something. What it was, they didn't know. Eventually though, Hermione noticed what Ginny and Neville had but wasn't present in her own relationship. It was passion. They acted more like best friends they had always been, than as lovers. They were comfortable—too comfortable—but they weren't passionate. They weren't even passionate when they were shouting angrily to each other. Those were just a bunch of hurtful words they chose specifically, knowing it would hurt the other. For weeks, she mulled the idea over in her head, and when she was certain that their relationship had dwindled into nothing and got too mundane, she decided that she had to end things before their years of friendship became unsalvageable.

After only five months of dating, she finally upped and told him she wanted to breakup. She was relieved when he said that he felt the same way. She thought she was going to lose Ron, but apparently, they stayed the best of friends (when she wasn't nagging him about this or that and he wasn't being an insensitive prat).

In university, she met Viktor Krum, a transfer student from Bulgaria. He was handsome, had a stocky build and played rugby. He was sweet enough, but it was anything but serious between them. He was just there for three months. They parted ways and promised to keep communication. Now though, there wasn't any communication either. They just grew distant.

The third was a year after Viktor. Still in university, he was her senior. His name was David. He was a good looking guy with blue eyes and dark hair. Popular too. She didn't know what he saw in her. Usually, she was just a bookworm and a nerd for the guys in school and college—she wasn't exciting enough. But somehow, this popular guy gave her his attention. He sat with her in the library and walked her to class. She was flattered of course. And her innocent mind rejected it when Ginny said he was a bad news. After only four months of dating him, she fancied herself falling in love with him and decided to give him something. Not her virginity, she still wasn't sure and wasn't confident enough for that, but maybe a third base. She decided to go to his flat and surprise him, wearing a little black dress and a pair of black, five inches stiletto she bought for the special occasion. Because it _would_ be special, at least for her. She had never done anything like this before.

It was him who made her speechless, though. When she was in front of his flat, she heard moaning. Maybe they were in the living room sofa because you could hear them from the outside. She decided to knock, even when her heart felt like breaking because who knew, it could be his friends, coming over and decided to do the dirty deed there.

They didn't open the door, maybe they didn't hear it over their own moaning and groaning, or they just didn't care. She then tried to grab the handle and open it, and was shocked that it worked. Apparently, they were in such a hurry, they didn't lock the door. The sight that greeted her was horrid. She couldn't remember it without feeling ill. Her boyfriend was naked and wrapped around an equally naked, leggy blonde.

The fight after that was not pretty. He was mocking her because she thought he was going to hold back when she didn't give him any. The blonde woman stood there, looking awkward in just her lingerie, not sure what to do. There were a lot of tears on her part. After that, she ran back home and cried herself to sleep. The next day, Ginny came with ice cream and a stack of comedy movies. She was grateful Ginny didn't say _I told you so_. She should have listened to Ginny.

After all of this, she thought she was going to stop dating, just waiting for Mr. Right. And it sort of worked, until Blaise came at least. She resisted, she really did. But he was so determined until she finally gave in. And now this, this utter bullshit about figuring things out. She couldn't help feeling like a failure, the girl no man wanted—but no, she couldn't think like that. If Ginny and Harry, or even Ron, heard she said something like that about herself, they would smack her upside the head for sure. She smiled, remembering her best friends. God, she missed them. She quickly dried her tears and checked the flat for some important things that couldn't be left.

She was packed, ready to leave the next day. Initially, she was going to take a different flight from her parents because she was going with Blaise who hadn't met her parents yet. Now though, it seemed like she needed to book the same flight as her parents'. Damn him!


	2. Chapter 2

_February, 2013_

Hermione looked around the busy Heathrow airport and smiled to herself. She was in England. She was home. Finally.  
She looked around, looking for her parents and then walked over to them.

"We're home," her mother smiled.

"It's good to be home," Hermione smiled back.

* * *

It had been three days since Hermione came back in England. They moved back to their old house and Hermione had been busy rearranging her own stuff and helping her parents with the house. The days were hectic and she was exhausted. It was finally over, though. Everything was set and it was like they never left. Now, Hermione could relax and thought about what she wanted to do.

Immediately, though, the thoughts of _him_ started to enter her mind. The confusion, the hurt, the betrayal, the fury. They were all blending in together, making Hermione's heart clench. Hermione remembered the time when they were only friends. They had fun together, didn't they? Before they decided to start the relationship, not knowing if they could handle it. Not knowing if _he_ could handle it. _If only they stayed friends, he would probably be here right now,_ she thought sadly. Oh, she was still furious with him, alright. But she also mourned for the loss of their friendship. _Get a hold of yourself, girl!_ She thought to herself. There was no sense in crying over split milk.

It took her some time, but she could finally shut the gloomy thoughts up. Maybe what she needed the most now was someone to cheer her up. _Harry!_ She thought immediately. He didn't know that she was in London yet, she just told him she would be home this month. She could come over and surprise him! Hermione started to smile.

She changed her clothes into the warmer ones, grabbed her coat, gloves, and scarf, put on a pair of boots, said good bye to her parents and drove to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Nearly two hours later, she was standing on the doorstep of Harry's house. She looked back in the driveway, there was a black Audi R8 there. Certainly wasn't Harry's. She just couldn't see her best friend driving that kind of thing. The thought alone made her wanted to laugh out loud. She then imagined what kind of car Harry was driving. A small snicker escaped her when she thought about Harry in a grandma's car. _Well, he certainly d_ _rove_ _like one._

Hermione reached out, rang the bell and waited.

She heard Harry yelled "just a minute" from inside the house and felt the anticipation built when she heard someone walked up towards the door from the other side.

"SURPRISE!" She half-yelled before the door even fully opened and then wrapped Harry in a tight hug. He felt so stiff in her arms, though, making her paused. She sniffed the hard chest she'd buried her head in—he smelled different too. It was an earthy scent of sandalwood, while Harry's was always bergamot.

There was a snicker behind them, stopping Hermione's further attempt at observation. She lifted her head to look, and gasped. There he was—her best friend—standing behind them with an entirely too amused expression on his face—s _o who was the poor guy she attacked then?_

Hermione was almost afraid to look up. She knew it wasn't Ron, she would have recognized him if it were. It couldn't be any of her other male friends either, as he felt entirely too stiff for a friendly face.

Hermione took a deep breath and looked up. It wasn't Harry. _Of course it wasn't Harry_. Instead, she saw a man with hair so pale it was nearly white and a pair of expressive grey eyes. There was something blue smearing his left cheek. He wore a black turtleneck and black jeans, a stark contrast to his overall pale figure. _If he_ _was_ _wearing an all-white, he_ _could_ _be mistaken as an angel,_ Hermione thought absently, still staring at those grey eyes, before she shook her head a little, realizing that she was still hugging him.

"Alright there, Hermione?" Harry, the wanker, was grinning.

"Yeah" she answered quietly, then gingerly unwrapped her arms from around the stranger, who attempted to smile at her but came out mostly as a grimace.

"How come Draco got a hug and I don't? It's not fair is what it is" Harry mock pouted.

The tension was melting and then Hermione ran into Harry's arms—the real one this time—and began whispering "I've missed you" and Harry whispered back "I've missed you too" while hugging the whole time. Many seconds later, she let Harry go. That's when she remembered that they had an audience. Hermione turned around, finding Draco who still standing there, with one hand in his jeans pocket, watching Harry and her with a curious expression.

"Well, come on then you two. I'll make tea" Harry called out to them, already walking back to the living room.

In the living room, Hermione sat down on one of the armchairs, while Draco took another. He tried to offer making the tea, but Harry declined, saying that Draco had done enough for the night.

Hermione opened the conversation with "This is awkward," uttered with a nervous smile. Probably not the best opening, but it _was_ awkward.

"I suppose it is, yeah" he replied, rubbing the back of his neck a little awkwardly, making her almost smile. Maybe she wouldn't know what to do either if there was a crazy lady shouting into her ear and hugging her the moment she opened the door.

"Who are you then?" She asked, looking at him intently, her head slightly cocked to the side. She tried to place him—if maybe he was an old acquaintance—but no, she was sure she'd never met him. Plus, she didn't think she ever heard the name Draco before.

"I'm Draco" he answered automatically. He too was studying Hermione, though much more subtly.

A thought came to Hermione then. She sat up straight and asked him, "Are you his boyfriend?" how Harry could snag this cute guy, she had no idea.

The response was immediate; he started to sputter, "His boyfr—wha—? No, no—of course not," he looked torn between affronted and mortified, his cheeks started to bloom red.

The urge to laugh was strong, but she reined it in. She didn't want to offend him more—he seemed nice after all. She smiled at him instead.

"Let's start again, shall we? Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. And you are—?" She held her hand out for him.

He took her hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he answered shyly, after he got over the ridiculous notion Hermione spouted about him being Harry's boyfriend. He shook her hand before letting go. "Hermione—daughter of Helen and King Menelaus," he murmured.

Hermione's smile widened, "And Draco—the dragon constellation in the Northern sky."

"You are Harry's best friend. I've heard about you a lot," he started to smile back. There weren't many people who knew about his name, most just thought it was a ridiculous name. And Hermione's presence was comforting. Draco only felt comfortable around a handful of people. He got nervous easily.

"Really? All good, I hope" she joked.

"Of course. All the great things," he assured her.

Just as Hermione was about to open her mouth, they heard footsteps from across the hall. Harry came with a tray of tea and assortments. He put the tray down and took a seat to Hermione's right. They chatted a bit before Draco stood.

"I'll just get going then, Harry. Teddy is asleep, my work here is done."

"Why don't you stay for dinner, Draco?" Harry offered, then looked at Hermione who nodded.

Draco shook his head no. "No, but thank you, Harry. You guys look like you have a lot to catch up on. I'll go. I can come over some other time" he walked towards the hanger to grab his coat and gloves and put them on.

"You sure? Narcissa is away, there is no one in your house."

"Yes, Harry" Draco assured him. "I'm going to Theo's."

"Okay then. Thanks again for the help with Teddy, Draco. I don't know what I'd do without you" he said dramatically.

"Well, you wouldn't be going to that date for sure," Draco said with a chuckle. "Bye, Harry." He then turned towards Hermione, who stood a couple of steps in front of Harry, closer to Draco, "Miss Granger" he said quietly, with a slight dip of his head.

"Hermione please, Draco" she smiled. Then before Draco could answer, she stopped, seemingly scrutinizing him—or more accurately, his face. She stepped even closer, a hand reached out towards him. _What was she doing?_ _Was she about to hug him—again?_

"There is something on your cheek. Here," she reached out and wiped the smearing of something that felt like crayon off his cheek with her thumb gently. _Must be Teddy's crayon_ , Draco thought absently. When she realized what she's done, she slowly withdrew her hand, blushing hard. Draco was too.

"Thanks, Hermione" he murmured, trying to calm his erratically beating heart, his cheeks still felt warm. He nodded at Hermione, and then at Harry—who was watching them curiously—and left the house, apparently driving the Audi R8 she had seen outside.

After the smooth sound of the car faded, Hermione and Harry looked at each other.

"What was that?" Harry arched his eyebrow. Hermione just shrugged.

"Hermione—"

"Harry—"

Harry sighed, "Come on, then, you can ask your questions and then you can bore me to death with the talk about your study in Australia."

"Hey! It won't be boring" Hermione protested.

Harry just smiled and sat on the couch, pulling Hermione down with him.

* * *

Draco got into the car and pulled out of the driveway. He glanced one last time towards the house before speeding up on the highway. This was one of the times when he truly felt free—when he was driving. He loved the rush of his adrenaline, like he was flying. He felt unbeatable. The other times would be when he was painting and playing the piano, pouring what was on his mind and his heart into the canvas or the piano keys.

It was weird, that he loved driving so much, since it was what killed his father and nearly killed Draco himself. Lucius Malfoy died in a car crash nearly seven years ago, with Draco on the passenger seat. He died on the way to the hospital, while Draco himself nearly didn't make it. He got an intensive care for a whole month after that.

Lucius was always a hard-to-be-pleased kind of man. He always expected the best from his son. Draco tried, he tried hard to please his father, to make his father proud of him, but he never was. When Draco got the second highest grade in school, he looked at Draco with such disappointment in his eyes that made him wanted break down and cry. When all of his classmates' parents came to the piano recitals, Draco only had his mum sitting there with an encouraging smile while he kept glancing at the door hoping to see his father who never came. And when Draco followed his passion and entered the painting competition—at which he later held the biggest cup—Lucius only told his son that if he wanted to take the extracurricular, he should have picked sports _like a man_. The constant nitpicking ate away at Draco. He grew up fearing the judgments of the people all around him. His mum tried to shield him from all of it, always told him how much she loved him, but there was only so much she could do.

In school, he was always the nerd with no friends. Well, that wasn't true. He had Theo, his best friend. And Blaise Zabini and Astoria Greengrass—who weren't exactly his friends but friendly enough to Draco, which Draco appreciated. But it was as far as it went. They didn't dare bully him, because all of them knew who Draco's father was. And they knew it wouldn't be a good idea to bully Lucius Malfoy's son.

His father's death didn't alleviate the burden on his shoulders, it only serve to make Draco became more of a recluse. The bully started then. The kindest word they called him was "freak". The others, he didn't care to remember. They were hurtful, and it was almost too much for Draco. If it wasn't for Theo and his mum, he didn't know what would have become of him.

That's when he began to drive. He asked Theo's dad to teach him how to drive. He didn't want to feel as helpless as when he was in the car crash with his father—or even when the bullying got too much. He wanted to be in control. He wanted do something that could release all of the pent up frustation within himself. Playing the piano was good, but still, the adrenaline rush was higher when he was driving. And many driving lessons later, he discovered that he was never happier than when he got his hands on the wheel.

As soon as he got his license, he bought himself a car. The Malfoys weren't paupers. They came from old money. Even Lucius' death didn't hurt the business. It was handled by Theo's father—they were family friends after all. And Draco was still entrusting the company to him before he inevitably took the rein back in his hands. For now, he was happy to learn the ropes from Theodore Nott Sr. He just graduated from his mastery, he had a lot to learn still.

Draco pulled in the driveway of Theo's house, got out of the car, walked towards the doorstep, and rang the bell.

"Why didn't you just come in, you tosser? Would have saved me the time and effort going down here" Theo grumbled with a sour face. He looked like he just dragged himself out of the bed, with an unbutton shirt, half closed eyes, and hair sticking out every which way.

"I didn't want to be rude, Theo" Draco said innocently, and Theo harrumphed. They walked into the living room and Theo sprawled himself onto one of the couches, while Draco took the armchair.

"Do you need something, Draco?" he turned to the blond prat who interrupted his peaceful slumber.

"You say that like I only come here when I want something, Theo. How dare you?!" he exclaimed with a mock outrage.

Theo only rolled his eyes and said, "You don't fool anyone here, Draco. Cut the act and tell me."

"Well, okay, if you insist," he huffed, but he was smiling. "I just came from your boyfriend's house, as I'm sure you know. But someone rang the bell when Harry was tucking Teddy in," then he stopped talking, waiting for Theo's inevitably annoyed response to come. And he didn't disappoint.

"Okay, I'll bite. Who was it, Draco?" he asked with exasperation that only served to make Draco smile more.

"It was the best friend—Miss Hermione Granger" Draco smirked smugly.

"What, really?" he sat up straighter at that. "I didn't know she would come this early."

"Well, to be fair, Harry didn't know either I think" Draco rubbed his chin with his thumb. "She certainly shocked the hell out of me when I opened the door and hugged me tightly while shouting 'surprise' into my ear." Draco huffed a laugh, remembering the incident. He supposed it was funny now—not so much when he was squeezed in Hermione's tight embrace.

"Wha—? You? Why?" Theo stuttered incoherently. As far as he knew, Draco never met Hermione before. Now she hugged him like a friend?

Draco recounted the incident to him and they both laughed for a bit.

"Well, what was she like then—was she pretty? Was she fun?"

Draco couldn't help it, he remembered the feeling of _her arms warped tightly around him, the lavender scent from her body,_ _her soft hand_ _as_ _she_ _gently_ _wiped the crayon off of his cheeks_ —and suddenly, he felt his cheeks warmed. _Damn_. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Well, she's beautiful. And she looked plenty fun," he mumbled, avoiding Theo's eyes.

"Draco Malfoy, are you blushing?" Theo narrowed his eyes at Draco's cheeks, which were indeed red.

"Am not. What a ridiculous question!" he exclaimed in an abnormally high voice, attempting to turn away from his friend's amused teasing.

"You so are. Well, I'be damned. Draco is in looovvveee" Theo sing songed giddily.

"No, I'm not. Shut up, Theo!" he was mortified that his cheeks couldn't seem to stop blushing—and Theo looked entirely too gleeful at Draco's predicament.

Theo didn't hear him—or was suddenly deaf—and began to sing, "Draco and Hermione sitting in a tree—K-I-S-S-I—oomph," Draco was smothering him with the cushion until he yelled "Yield!"

Draco slumped on his seat and quietly said, "After what happened with Daphne—and Astoria never reciprocated—"

"You listen to me, Draco Malfoy" Theo cut him of immediately, he sat up straight and directed his sharp gaze at Draco—he hated it when Draco got this way, "I'm sorry Astoria never reciprocated your feelings. She chose to love the miserable wanker Zabini who jumped from woman to woman like they were clothes he could change into every day, than have you, who would surely treated her like a queen. And sorry about her sister—Daphne—who was the queen bitch, only cared about herself. She grabbed a hold of your heart, only to stomp on it. I even am sorry about Parkinson, who always hangs onto you every chance she gets, even though you made it clear you weren't interested, just because she wanted her hands on the Malfoy fortune," he paused momentarily before continuing in a firm tone, "You are a wonderful man, Draco Malfoy, so don't disparage your own worth just because those women couldn't see how amazing you really are" he stared at Draco intently, as if daring him to counteract what he said.

Draco took a deep breath and exhaled softly, running his fingers through his hair. "Aww, thanks Theo. I didn't know you feel that way. Should Harry be worried about this?" he asked playfully, but with a small, grateful smile.

"Sod off, Draco. You're too skinny for my taste," Theo said, throwing a cushion his way.

* * *

From those three women Theo mentioned, it was Dahpne who gave Draco the biggest hit on his self confidence. She helped Draco got over the hopeless crush he had for Astoria, only to shatter his heart to pieces.

 _It was the school prom night. Draco was so happy, he finally had a date. He never had a date before. He was never that popular to begin with. But after he started getting bullied, no one except Theo, Blaise, and Astoria ever talked to him. Unless they were mocking him, jeering at him, or worse, pranking him._

 _Daphne Greengrass had never glanced at Draco before. Never talked to him, but never joined the bullying either. He wasn't sure she knew that he existed, to be honest. It was nearly three months ago that she started paying him attention. She studied with him, and sat with him during meals when Theo wasn't around. Theo said he didn't really trust Daphne, but he could be a paranoid git sometimes, so Draco just assured him that Daphne was sincere. She helped Draco get over Astoria after all, which Draco was thankful for, because two years of unrequited crush was really taking its toll on him. She paid him attention, complimented him, was_ _often_ _staring at him, making him blush, sometimes touching_ _him—_ _his arm_ _,_ _his knee, his shoulder. And she was beatiful too (not that it was that important to Draco. He wasn't shallow). A couple of months later, and she was positive Draco was smitten with her_ _—t_ _hat'_ _s_ _when she str_ _uck_ _._

 _Draco walked into the hall where the party was held, hand in hand with Daphne. She had kissed him two weeks ago, making Draco feel like he was on top of the world. The girl he liked, liked him back, finally. It was getting tiresome, having an unrequited crush._

 _She had been his first kiss. Since then, they had kissed several times more. They even snogged once, yesterday. They took it slow because this was, hopefully, Draco's first would-be relationship. He had planned to ask Daphne to be his girlfriend tonight._

 _They danced, they drank the punch, and they talked to Theo for a bit._ _And w_ _hen Draco couldn't hold it any longer, he led Daphne to sit on the chairs near the wall_ _to_ _ask the question he_ _had_ _wanted to ask since two weeks ago._

" _Daphne, would you be my girlfriend?" he asked quietly, not meeting her eyes._

" _What, Draco, I can't hear you. Louder, please."_

" _Would you be my girlfriend?" he asked as loud as he dared, with red cheeks and his heart nearly bursting out of his chest. He chanced a glance at Daphne's face when she didn't answer. Only, she wasn't looking at Draco, she was looking at something behind him. When Draco turned around, there was a group of girls staring at them. Some of them were smirking, some were sneering, and one of them looked at Draco_ _with something akin to_ _pity. Draco was_ _embarrassed_ _and_ _confused._ _Not only was he thought that the girls heard what he asked Daphne, but Daphne was seemingly didn't care for his question, she just stared challengingly at the girls' direction._

" _I'm sorry Draco dear, I can't be your girlfriend,"_ _she answered after she directed_ _her_ _attention back to him. Her_ _voice was sickly sweet, but it tasted like a poison to Draco._

" _Why not? I thought_ _—_ _" he said_ _in_ _a small voice, and then trailed off._

" _You thought what? That a girl like me could ever be interested in a guy like you?" she asked mockingly. Her sweet_ _disposition_ _from the last three months disappeared in an instant. "You are handsome, Draco, so very good looking. But it doesn't change the fact that you are, should we say, a wallflower? No one wanted to be your friend, except maybe Theodore. No girl wanted to be with you. I bet I was your first kiss, huh?" she laughed, impaling a dagger through his heart. "I'm sorry honey, but it was all an act. They bet me, you see. We all knew you liked my little sister since Astoria entered the school last year. Drooling over her like a lovesick puppy. But my sweet little sister was oblivious. It was someone else she wants, as I'm sure you are aware. So, my charming friends here bet me to make you fall for me and forget your puppy love for her. And the deadline is tonight," she rolled her eyes. "Sorry sweetheart, I had nothing against you. I just wanted to prove them that no man could resist Daphne Greengrass. They all fall for this" she finished, gesturing to herself._

 _By now, there was a crowd circling around them. They were laughing at him, mocking him, booing him, everything. He saw Astoria looking at him apologetically and with pity and sympathy. There was Theo, trying to get to them with face so red. Draco wanted to cry_ _—h_ _is eyes were glassy. Never had he felt this heartbroken and embarrassed before. Theo had warned him, he should have list_ _en_ _ed to his best friend._

" _Well, congratulations then" he said tightly. And without another world, he started to walk away, fighting the crowds around him, grabbed Theo, and left._

It was the last time Draco ever got close to a girl. He promised himself he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of destroying him ever again. He was waiting for the right girl, who he could trust would handle his heart with care and wouldn't shatter it. Unfortunately, he hadn't met her. Every girl he met always looked at his designer clothes and his sport cars, never at Draco. He hadn't felt that deep stirring in his chest regarding a girl after Daphne. Until tonight—in Harry's house, when someone touched his cheek. _Damn, he was screwed._

* * *

" _That_ was Draco Malfoy. His mother, Narcissa, is Andromeda's sister, and Sirius' cousin," Harry said with a sad smile that appeared on his face every time Sirius' name was mentioned. "You know how Andromeda was estranged from her family because she married what they call a commoner, and Sirius was because he was friends with my dad and Remus. Narcissa wanted to reconnect with her sister, but never could, because her husband wouldn't hear any of it. And from what I heard, Lucius was not a warm man. It was an arranged marriage between them you see, they were old fashioned like that. It wasn't a bad marriage, but it wasn't a happy one either. Anyway, Lucius died nearly seven years ago in a car crash, which also nearly killed Draco," he said quietly to Hermione, who gasped softly. "She wanted to contact Andromeda then, but didn't know if it would be welcome. When Tonks and Remus passed two years ago—right after you left—she came to the funeral. They've been reconnected since.

"It was a slow going at first. Narcissa felt guilty because she didn't contact Andy sooner, but Andy never blamed Narcissa. She understood her position. She was there before, after all. Only, Andy met Ted. Narcissa didn't have a Ted. What she has is Draco. She always says he was the only good thing in her life after Andy left" Harry smiled. "Now Andy and Narcissa are closer than ever. And Draco often comes here. Sometimes just to talk, other times to help me with Teddy—that's about it, really."

Hermione was silent for a bit, the mood subdued, before she spoke with an evil smile, "Draco mentioned a date. Tell me."

Harry groaned, but complied. "His name is Theo, he is Draco's best friend—"


	3. Chapter 3

_February, 2013_

"Ron!" Hermione ran into a grinning Ron's arms, giving him a long hug. Hermione was immensely thankful that their laughable attempt at a relationship didn't hurt their friendship. She didn't know what would have happened if they had lost their friendship because of it. _Like how she had lost Blaise_. Hermione sighed. She didn't want to think about it. But every now and again, he would find a way to sneak into her mind. They were rare and far in between, though. It helped that she was always surrounded by the people she loved. Hermione sighed again. She needed to stop thinking about the past and move on already.

"How are you?" he pulled back and inspected Hermione from head to toe.

"I'm good," she smiled up at him.

"Well, you do look good. Now I'm wondering why I 'd let you go," he grinned.

"Oh, stop," she hit his arm lightly, "We both know it was an awful attempt at a relationship. This is way better" Hermione smiled. "And how are you, Ron?"

"I'm amazing. I just got back from Romania," he looked tired but happy.

"Oh, yes. Harry mentioned it. How was Charlie?" Charlie Weasley was Ron's brother who lived in Romania and worked in the conservation of Romanian wild life.

"He's great. Mum is still nagging him about going home and find a nice girl to marry. She just doesn't get that he's practically married to the Eurasian lynxes" he chuckled. Indeed, Hermione never saw him brought a girl home to meet his parents. He seemed content with his single life.

"Is there not a lady—"

"Hermione!" Someone called her before she finished asking the question. When she turned around, she caught a flash of flaming red hair hurling towards her, and suddenly she was engulfed in a hug. "I've missed you. Why didn't you come here sooner? Harry said that you visited him two nights ago" Ginny Weasley pouted.

"Well, Harry said that Ron wouldn't come back until this morning, so I thought waiting a couple of days wouldn't matter" Hermione explained.

"Oh, well, you shouldn't. He's not worth the wait" Ginny said nonchalantly.

There was an exclamation of "hey!"

"Come on, Hermione. Let's have a girl talk," Ginny took Hermione's hand and led her away from a huffing Ron and up the stairs towards her bedroom. The Weasleys had a modest two story house. It wasn't posh, lavish, opulent, or anything like that—the furniture even looked slightly worn—but it was comfortable and homey. Ginny opened the door to her room and they entered the room with blue walls.

"There are not many changes here," Hermione observed. There were some knick knacks here and there, but other than that, Ginny's room looked the same as Hermione remembered it two years ago.

"No. I love it the way it is" Ginny sat down on the bed patted the space next to her for Hermione to join. "So, how was Australia? Was the kangaroo population increasing along with human population?"

"Ginny!" Hermione laughed. "I don't know if it was increasing—maybe. But I'll tell you, there were a lot of them"

"Okay, tell me about your time there" Ginny commanded.

"Well, I studied there, as you know. So really, there was not much to do. My live revolved around the college and home. Oh, and the bookstore and little café near the flat."

"So boring," Ginny huffed. "Give me something exciting"

"Like what?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe you worked in a strip club to pay your tuition. Or, you know, something" she at Hermione expectantly, as if she was waiting for Hermione to truly reveal something she deemed _exciting_.

"Ginny" Hermione groaned. "It's not exciting. It's scandalous"

"Same thing" Ginny said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Men. Tell me about men. Did you find someone there?"

Hermione faltered. Unknowingly, Ginny had tapped the unmentionable topic. _But maybe talking about it would help_ , Hermione thought. She wanted to tell someone, she needed to unload the heavy feeling she was carrying around. She just wasn't sure if Ginny was the person she should be talking about this with. _There was no one else_ —Hermione thought— _h_ _er other friends were boys, and boys were ignorant about things like this._

The silence was enough a confirmation for Ginny to know the truth. "Aha! I knew it. Spill" she demanded.

Hermione took a deep breath and started talking. "There was someone. Blaise Zabini. We met about nine month ago. I was having lunch in the café I mentioned. He was hiding under my table from some scary looking bloke because he was flirting with the bloke's girlfriend when he wasn't around. I let him hide there until the bloke's gone. We then talked for a bit. Turned out he was British too. He insisted to pay for the meal.

"After that, we bumped into each other several times, with him ended up joining me. We then made an arrangement for lunch the next day and from the day forth, we were friends," she paused, staring at the ceiling. "He was a flirt. As I told you, he flirted with someone's girlfriend. He flirted with anyone with pulse. He went to a date with a different woman every week. A womanizer, really.

"Three month later, something changed. He asked me to a date. I didn't know why he suddenly wanted to date me. I wasn't the kind of girl he usually took to dinner. You know the type, with high heels, short skirts, and tight tops" she rolled her eyes. "So of course I rejected him. You know what disaster a relationship with David was, you warned me against it" she smiled sadly. "Anyway, he didn't stop even though I said no. He was so determined to get a date with me. He stopped fooling around, and asked me nearly daily about the date. It went on for about five months. Five long months he was wooing me. And I was won over by his persistence. He was kind, handsome, funny, and could be charming when he wanted to be. So I said yes about five weeks ago. I thought it was real. It certainly didn't feel fake to me," she smiled wryly. "You know, I was his first girlfriend. He's never been in a relationship before. He said I was different from all of the girls he met" Hermione stopped, staring pensively at her hands on her lap.

"What happened?" Ginny asked gently when Hermione stayed silent.

"We agreed to go back here together. He said he was okay going back here with me. We've packed everything" Hermione faltered. This was the hardest part. "That night, we talked on my couch and fell asleep. The next morning, he was gone. I found a note on the table" Hermione then told Ginny what the note said and then exhaled. The hurt was still there, though not as strong as before.

"Did you love him?" Ginny asked carefully.

"No. There was just not enough time. And before I agreed to go out with him, I always hold back. I guess I was guarding my heart if somehow things like this happened. And it did happen. So—" she shrugged.

Ginny nodded. She pondered Hermione's words for a moment, before speaking. "Hermione, this was new to him. You understand that, right? Maybe he was scared about the intensity of his feelings for you. He felt more to you than he was letting on. And well, changes can be daunting sometimes"

Hermione just nodded.

"If he contact you later and ask you to give him another chance, will you?" Ginny asked carefully.

Hermione stayed silent for a while—she never thought it. She just assumed that Blaise Zabini would never step back into her life. But maybe she should think about the possibility. She collected her thoughts, then shook her head and said firmly, "No. I'm done giving this a chance. We've tried and it failed. I don't want to keep trying for something that we knew might not work from the start—at least I wasn't in too deep yet. So the hurt was mainly because he ran like coward instead of talking directly to me. We could still be friends if we talked it out like adults, you know?"

Ginny nodded. Then she stood and pulled Hermione up with her. "Come on then," she led Hermione to the small desk in the corner and turned on the laptop on her table.

"What are we doing?" Hermione asked, puzzled, when Ginny started clicking this and that.

"I want to see this Zabini guy" Ginny winked. She opened the browser and typed instagram.

"Oh, I didn't think of it. He asked me once if I had the account. I said no and he didn't ask again," Hermione was wondering if this was a good idea. She didn't want to see him yet—not even in the picture.

Ginny then asked her the correct spelling for his name and two accounts with the name appeared. She told Ginny which one was his after they checked the profile picture and the next thing she knew, they were looking at Blaise's instagram account. There weren't a lot there, mainly it was about nature all around the world—from his trip for sure. But there were some pictures of him alone and him with girls. Seemed to be old pictures. Those ones she didn't want to see. Whatever she might or might not still feel for him, she didn't want to see him with other girls.

"Hermione, you little minx. You sure know how to pick 'em" Ginny whistled, looking at the photo of Blaise topless.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You have Neville, Ginny."

"I'm in a relationship, not blind. I'm allowed to look," she retorted. "Come on then, we can check the tags. Here—" _click._ "Oh."

They were silent. Ginny bit her lip, glanced towards the photo on the screen, then Hermione, then the photo again. Hermione was frozen. She kept staring at the screen. There, displayed on the screen—was Blaise with a blonde girl sitting on his lap. They were laughing. The second one was of them in what seemed to be a heavy make out session. But what made Hermione freeze was that the pictures looked to be newly posted.

"Maybe they are old pictures too," Ginny said unsurely.

But Hermione had already clicked one of the pictures. And there, the caption said _'last night'_ and the name of the beach they were at. Hermione felt her blood began to boil.

"THE BASTARD!" Hermione erupted, with a slightly crazed look, "I can't believe him. It's only been a week, and he was off snogging some slag" Hermione breathed heavily, gripping the edge of the desk tightly, her knuckles turned white. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to fling the laptop across the room until the pictures disappear from the screen and from her memory—good thing it was Ginny's, so she didn't dare—she wanted to fly to Italy to tell him what kind of a man she thought he was. She just wanted to do something.

Suddenly, Hermione felt herself starting to panic.

"Calm down, Hermione—take a deep breath. In and out—good girl" Ginny rubbed her back.

As fast as the panic came, it was gone—leaving Hermione feel defeated. She slumped on her seat, her head in her hands. Maybe it was the confirmation she needed—to reaffirm her decision that if Blaise came crawling back to her, she wouldn't take him back. And maybe one day, they would be friends once again. But not now. He hurt her enough. The wound was still too fresh.

When Hermione was pondering her situation, Ginny went out for a minute and then came back with a bowl of ice cream. Hermione smiled, remembering the time when the same thing happened with David. She then asked if they could watch comedy movies—Ginny chuckled and then nodded.

* * *

"Have you met Teddy?" Ginny asked a while later after the movie ended.

"No. He was already asleep when I came that night. Maybe I'll visit again tomorrow. I missed him so much. I bet he is so much bigger now" Hermione smiled, remembering Harry's godson. She had left England when he was three. She hoped he didn't forget her.

"Yea. That's what we always say about kids growing up too fast" Ginny agreed. "So, it was only Harry you met before you went here?"

"Sure. I mean, who else? Just Harry, your parents whom I've met outside when I just arrived, Ron, and you. Maybe I'll visit Andromeda—once she comes back from her holiday—Luna, Neville, and the twins—eh, I'm not sure who else" Hermione shrugged.

"Did Harry tell you about his boyfriend?" Ginny asked mischievously.

"Oh, yes. He didn't need much prodding. He pretended to be reluctant, but it was like he was about to burst if he didn't tell me," Hermione chuckled. "He looks happy, doesn't he?"

Ginny snorted. "The poor sod is in love. It's great for him, cause I've had about enough of his whining about how he was destined to be alone forever. What an absolute moron."

Hermione bit her lip, "Well, I've met the boyfriend's best friend."

"Ah, Draco—now that is one gorgeous specimen" Ginny gave a dreamy sigh.

Hermione held back a laugh—though she silently agreed. "Ginny. I thought you were happy with Neville."

"And I thought I made it clear that I'm not blind," Ginny retorted. "But tell me about Draco. When did you meet him? Where?"

Hermione then proceeded to tell Ginny about the meeting two nights ago. Without the details about how she wiped something off his cheek, of course.

Ginny was laughing hard, "So you just hugged the poor bloke and didn't let go?" Hermione nodded sheepishly, and Ginny laughed some more before she continued "I bet he was flustered. For such a good looking bloke, he got flustered easily, you know—such a nice change from the usual arseholes who think they deserve to be worshipped just for their looks" Hermione nodded again. "So, what do you think about him?"

"Well, he didn't talk much, but he seemed nice. And a little shy, it was cute. He knew about my name's origin, so that means he was educated, which is always a plus. And he seemed polite too, so a gentleman," Hermione listed.

"Nice, cute, educated, and a gentleman. Sounds like Hermione Granger's perfect man" Ginny teased.

"What? No, no. Of course not. I just got out of a disastrous relationship for Heaven's sake. I can't be thinking about men just yet" Hermione denied with a shake of her head, her hair bounced off every which way.

"Hm. Of course not" Ginny smiled mysteriously, leaving Hermione confused.

* * *

"Hermione," Harry hugged her. "I thought you'd come later."

"Well, yes. But there was no one home and I got bored, so I thought I'd just head here early. Why? Are you busy?" She looked at him questioningly as they entered the living room.

"No, I'm just putting Teddy down for a nap."

Hermione huffed, "Why is Teddy always asleep or is about to sleep every time I come here? I want to meet him."

"Okay, you can meet him for a few minutes, I guess. He's really drained. We had quite an afternoon" Harry offered.

Hermione nodded, and together they walked towards Teddy's room. Hermione followed Harry in—and there, on the bed, like Harry had said, the little guy looked exhausted.

"Teddy, do you remember aunty 'Mione?" Harry asked him, stopping next to the bed.

He observed Hermione for a bit, trying to place her. She hoped that he did remember her—they were quite close before Hermione left for Australia. A few seconds later, she exhaled in relief when Teddy's eyes lit up and he exclaimed a "yes."

Hermione went and sat down the bed Teddy was lying on. "Give me a hug, young man" Teddy did so quite exuberantly, drawing chuckle out of her. They hugged and Hermione kissed the crown of his head.

"Are you back for good?" The little tyke looked at Hermione hopefully.

"Yes, Teddy. I'm back for good."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Hermione nodded. "Now uncle Harry said that you were about to take a nap."

"But I want to talk with you" Teddy frowned, and then yawned.

"Maybe I'll still be here when you're awake—if not, then I'll visit again soon" Hermione smiled. "Now sleep, baby" she kissed his forehead.

"Okay."

* * *

"—and then he just kept walking like nothing happened. We weren't sure if he was embarrassed or not, he just walked right ahead, while we were in stitches—" the bell was ringing, interrupting Hermione's story.

"Hold on," Harry stood, smoothing his shirt, and walked towards the front door.

Hermione leaned back against the couch and waited. She hummed and took out her phone, checking new texts. There was one from mum, one from Fred, and one from George. She snickered, reading Fred and George's texts—they did their usual continue-the-sentence. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work, because she opened George's first, when it should have been the other way around.

A while later, Harry was back with two guys trailing behind him. The first one was the guy with platinum blonde hair— _Draco_ , she remembered—the other she didn't know. But if she had to guess, then this would be Theo, the boyfriend. Hermione stood.

"Hermione, you've met Draco—and this is Theo, my boyfriend. Theo, this is my best friend, Hermione" Harry introduced them.

"Hello, Theo. Nice to meet you," Hermione smiled and extended her hand which Theo shook.

"Nice too meet you too, Hermione. I've heard quite a lot about you—from both Harry _and_ Draco" he smiled slyly. Draco jerked his head and looked at Theo when he was mentioned. _What was Theo playing at?_

"Really?" Hermione too was interested in what Theo was talking about.

"Yea. They _both_ have such a high opinion about you," by now, Draco was looking at Theo with an expression that said ' _Really, Theo? Really?'_ and he was avoiding eye contact with Hermione.

"Oh, they're too kind, surely. I'm not that great" she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and blushing slightly.

"Nonsense. I bet you are delightful" he grinned, at which Hermione smiled back.

Soon they were talking. Hermione told them about Australia and Harry and Theo told her about their life when she was away. Theo was funny and energetic. He was the type of person who can lift the mood every time someone needed it—a right fit for Harry. Draco was a little reserved, but not aloof. Hermione suspected as much from the first meeting. She got the impression that he only really talked to the people he'd grown to trust.

A while later, though, Theo and Harry seemed to be in their own world. Leaving Hermione with Draco to talk alone. Hermione looked at him. He looked like he didn't quite know what to do or say, so she decided to speak first.

"How are you, Draco?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I'm fine, thank you. And you?" he cleared his throat. "I mean, how are you, Hermione?"

"I'm very well, thank you" Hermione smiled. "We didn't really talk last time. Tell me about yourself, Draco" she encouraged.

He looked really lost for a moment, before speaking softly. "There isn't much to tell. I'm an only child, my father passed a while ago—so it's just mum and me. I just finished my mastery in Cambridge a month ago—I love playing the piano and painting."

Hermione's eyes lit up at the last part, "Really? You play the piano?"

Draco perked up at her excited tone. He answered tentatively, "Yea. My mum taught me since I was five. I've loved it since. Do you play?"

"No. I've always wanted to, but never got the chance to learn. You have to teach me sometimes" Hermione nearly bounced up and down—but it didn't matter because Draco looked just as happy.

"I will. There is one here, still in a good condition. We can use it."

They fell silent, just smiling softly at each other. And that's when she realized that there was no sound coming from Theo and Harry. Draco too seemed to have realized the same thing. She looked up, finding Theo and Harry looking straight back at Draco and herself. Harry raised an eyebrow, while Theo just smiled at them knowingly.

Hermione bit her lip, looking down her mismatched socks with red cheeks.

Draco licked his bottom lip, studying the plant in the corner of the room with red cheeks.


	4. Chapter 4

_March, 2013_

Hermione got out of her car, balancing the food container and a present both in one hand. She slammed the car door shut, locking it, and tucked the key into her jeans pocket. She walked towards the front door of the Weasleys' family home. It was Ron's 23rd birthday brunch, just for close friends and family. She got him a white dress shirt and several ties—because she noticed Ron didn't have many of them.

The remnants of the morning rain splashed beneath the ankle boots she wore. The front door was open, but there was no one there. She entered the house, took off her jacket, and put it on the hanger. She figured Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen or dining room, so she walked straight there. She was right, she found her in the dining room, fussing over the food on the table.

"Mrs. Weasley," Hermione greeted a rather busy looking Mrs. Weasley with a smile. "Where do I put these?" she held her packed homemade apple French toast casserole in one hand and a present, wrapped in a red paper, in another.

"Oh, Hermione dear, you came. And you brought something," Mrs. Weasley beamed at her, then looked back at the table, "Put the casserole next to the shrimp and grits, please. And the present, put it on the table next to the fireplace. There should have been several others there. Thank you, dear" she patted Hermione's hand gently and back to fussing over something or another.

Hermione nodded and proceeded to put the casserole on the table full of brunch dishes—ambrosia salad, green bean salad, buttermilk pancakes, bacon deviled eggs, and such—she then went back to the living room and put the present on top of several others. "Is there something I can help you with?" Hermione offered after she went back to the dining room.

"No dear, I've got everything covered. You just relax. Ginny and Ron are upstairs. Go" she shooed Hermione with one hand.

"Alright," Hermione nodded and took up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she turned left first, towards Ron's room, and knocked twice.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron greeted her cheerfully with a hug. He was wearing a light blue sweater and blue jeans, his hair was combed neatly, and she caught a wave of his musky cologne when he leaned in.

"Hello, Ron. And happy birthday" she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Hermione," he grinned. He really looked happy. "Do you want to come in?" he opened the door wider.

Hermione shook her head no. "I'm going to Ginny's. I just wanted to say hello to the birthday boy first."

Ron sighed with mock disappointment, making Hermione smirk as she she turned around and headed to Ginny's room. This time she didn't bother waiting, she just knocked twice and entered the room at the end of the hall.

"Hermione," Ginny looked at her through the mirror as she brushed her hair and tied it in a high ponytail. She wore a maroon, hooded sweatshirts and blue jeans. Simple, but still pretty. Hermione herself was wearing a caramel high collar cashmere sweater and black jeans with her hair in a messy bun—meals at the Weasley's were always casual.

Hermione sat on the bed with her legs crossed. "Who are coming, Gin? It looked like the table had more chairs than usual—I mean the usual as in two years ago," she clarified.

Hermione was puzzled by this. The table did have a couple more chairs than she remembered. Especially considering some family members were absent—Charlie, who Ron visited just a week ago, and Bill and his wife, Fleur, who were nine months pregnant and waiting for the little one to arrive.

"Oh. Those would be Ron's friends from work, Dean and Seamus. They've come here since Ron's birthday last year. Seamus is Irish," Hermione hummed. "And the other two chairs would be for Theo and Draco," Ginny said, casting her a sidelong glance.

"Oh?" Hermione asked lightly.

Ginny nodded. "Yea. They come here often enough. Mum loves them. I think she even loves Draco more than she loves her own sons. Always calls him _the poor boy._ She fussed over him so much—he's not eating enough. He doesn't get enough sun. He's lonely. His dad isn't here anymore. Blah, blah, blah. I think if I hadn't been with Neville, she would have tried to push me to Draco a long time ago," she gave Hermione a slow, wicked smile "Oh, but now, there is a single lady. And it sure as hell isn't me," she wiggled her eyebrow.

Hermione laughed. "Stop it, Ginny. We've just met, what, three times?" she rolled her eyes. "And I—"

"Wait, halt immediately," she held up one hand. "Three times? I thought it was only once? When were the last two?" she narrowed her eyes at Hermione, like somehow she was deliberately keeping this information a secret from her.

Hermione scoffed—both at the interruption and the accusation, "The second was the day after I visited here. I went to Harry's, and not an hour later, Theo and Draco came. The third one was just in passing. I was giving Harry a lift. He was going on a date with Theo, you see. Draco was there, before he too left after Harry arrived," she then continued what she was about to say before being interrupted. "And I told you I'm recovering from the heartbreak," though if she really thought about it, she didn't even think about Blaise that much anymore—maybe once or twice a day. She was surprised by how easy it was let him go. Maybe if she had still been in Australia, she would have had more time to herself, thus more time for moping around. But here, she was surrounded by her loved ones who wouldn't let her mope in silence, so that definitely helped.

"Pish posh. The most effective way to forget a guy is to get a new guy. I should know. I've done it before," Ginny winked at her.

Hermione had to laugh at that. "I have forgotten about that. The Michael Corner incident," she shook her head and chuckled, before continuing seriously "But you can't compare your experience with mine, Ginny," she gave her friend a look.

Ginny grimaced at that. "Okay, okay. Michael Corner was a stupid mistake. I didn't even like him that much," she couldn't even remember him without shuddering.

There was a lull in the conversation when they heard Mrs. Weasley called them downstairs. They looked at each other and nodded, exiting Ginny's room and headed downstairs. When they entered the dining room, it looked like everyone else had arrived and sat on the table, chatting with each other. She didn't think she was gone that long. Oh, well.

She sat between Ginny and a muscular guy with dark skin and dark hair. He introduced himself as Dean Thomas. The Irish guy next to him was Seamus Finnegan—they were both Ron's coworker. Mrs. Weasley announced a "dig in" and then everyone was filling their plates. Hermione enjoyed the meal while talking to the two guys. Seamus was rather loud and blunt in Hermione's opinion, while Dean was calmer but still friendy.

They were talking about Hermione's experience in Australia when Mr. Weasley called everyone's attention and the cake was set down in front of Ron. He rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes, seemingly making a wish. He blew the candle, and then Mrs. Weasley helped cut the cake. They each held their glasses as they wished Ron well wishes, giving a toast. It went for some time even though not everyone spoke. Everyone got their piece of chocolate cake afterwards. There were other kinds of desserts too for those who didn't want the cake.

* * *

Hermione was looking around the table when her eyes stopped at a particular person with tousled blond hair, wearing a white button up shirt and navy cashmere sweater. He was chuckling at something his best friend was saying, before he continued eating, looking down at his pudding _. He look_ _ed_ _good, especially when he smile_ _d—_ her traitorous mind whispered—' _u_ _gh, thank you so much for putting these thoughts into my head, Ginny.'_ Hermione shook her head, realizing that she has been zoning out. When she focused her eyes again, however, Draco was looking back at her, his brows furrowed. It looked like she had been staring at him for quite some time. She flushed a little, having been caught red handed. _Great, she just couldn't stop embarrassing herself in front of him, could she?_ She attacked her pudding viciously, frustrated. Someone nudged her lightly, and when she turned to look, she saw Ginny—looking at her with a raised eyebrow, and then looked at Draco, before looking back at her again with a smug smirk on her face. _Oh, God._

* * *

Draco chuckled when Theo reminded him about a particular childhood memory where the both of them ate a box of ice cream for dinner even though Narcissa had forbidden it. The result was two crying boys, having stomachache and whining incessantly. Needless to say, it was long after that that the two boys even touched ice cream again.

Theo then turned towards Harry when his boyfriend called him. Draco returned to his dessert, looking down at his pudding. Not long after, he felt the sensation of someone watching him. He lifted his head and saw Hermione—looking as beautiful as the first time they met—staring at him. ' _Do I have something on my face?_ _'_ He didn't think so—but he had to fight the urge to find a mirror and see for himself. Hermione kept staring at him though, making him confused. He looking back at her, furrowing his eyebrows. The next second, it was like she was just realizing that she was staring, and then flushed a little, before returning to her own dessert, scooping up the pudding rather violently. _What was that all about?_ Draco shook his head a little, before putting down his spoon. He was full.

* * *

The young adults were scattered around the living room when Draco came back from the restroom. He looked around, not sure where to sit. Seamus and Ron were having a chess match—Draco didn't didn't fancy watching them and doing nothing. Luna was talking about something, while Dean was nodding along—no offense to Luna but sometimes he just didn't get what she was saying. Theo and Harry was talking quietly, Ginny was resting her head on Neville's shoulder while he was playing with her hair—he didn't want to be the third wheel, or the fifth in this case, Fred and George were whispering to each other—Draco didn't want to deal with them if somehow they were talking about one of their nefarious plan and inevitably got caught by Mrs. Weasley. So that left Hermione, who was sitting on the couch on her own, reading a book with a relaxed posture. Where she got that book, he didn't know. He looked around again, before his eyes settled at Hermione once more. There was simply no better choice—and he got nothing to lose, so he braved himself.

"Hermione," he called her softly.

She looked up from her book and smiled at him. "Yes, Draco?"

"Can I sit here?" he asked her shyly, nodding at the space next to her.

Hermione's smile widened and she said, "Please."

Draco gingerly sat down and made himself comfortable beside her—close, but not touching, "I'm not intruding on your reading, am I?" Draco asked, grimacing a little at the thought of spoiling her reading time.

Hermione chuckled, "No. I actually have read this. Ginny just reminded me that I left the book here—and I had nothing to do" she discreetly pointed out at the people around them, "They all coupled up. So I had to entertain myself. Now that you're here though, I don't need this anymore" she flinched at the last part. It sounded like a bad pick up line, even to her own ears.

Draco had to control his blush at her words—even though he knew she didn't mean it quite like _that_. He smiled at her and asked about the book instead, "What are you reading?"

She showed him the cover. It was by Terese Mailhot and the title was Heart Berries: A Memoir.

"I haven't read it yet. Tell me about it, please?"

"You sure? No one wanted to hear me going on and on about books. I can get a little overboard" Hermione explained hesitantly, tucking her hair behind her ear—one of her nervous tick. It was true though, everyone just tuned her out when she started going on about books or study. And for some reason, she didn't want Draco to be bored in her company.

"Yes, I'm sure. Come on, humor me," he smiled encouragingly.

"Okay" Hermione pursed her lips, sat up straighter, and turned her body towards Draco's direction. She drew a soft breath before starting, "It was a series of tiny impressionistic essays of self exploration into the very roots of trauma and madness—"

* * *

"—sounds raw and powerful. There must be a lot of—" Draco said thoughtfully, expressing his thoughts into words.

* * *

"—first half of the book was somewhat all over the place, but then it became—" Hermione's voice said excitedly.

* * *

"—she said about weakness, I love it. And from what you described, her struggles felt so real—" They could hear the earnestness in Draco's voice.

* * *

Theo felt someone tugging at his sleeve while he was watching Hermione and Draco. He looked down at Ginny and she motioned him to leaned in, "Do you see it?" she whispered-yelled, apparently too excited to act normal.

"A bloody match made in heaven," Theo whispered in awe. "No one was keeping up with him when he talked about literatures and such. I'd never heard him talked like this with anyone."

Ginny nodded frantically, "Hermione was never this excited either. She had no one to share her knowledge with. Everyone just kind of tuned her out or asked her to change the subject—I kinda felt bad to be honest."

They watched for a few seconds more, before Theo turned to Ginny, watching her expression. He knew that face— _t_ _he scheming face._

"What's your plan, Red?" he asked curiously.

Ginny raised an eyebrow, giving him a look. Theo laughed.

"You will help me, yes?" she half asked, half demanded.

"Of course" Theo nodded. "Draco is my best friend. My brother. Anything to make him happy, I'll do it" he said firmly. He turned back to the animatedly conversing couple in front him. _Draco d_ _id_ _n't know it yet, but this_ _was_ _the girl who_ _would_ _bring him happiness,_ _He was_ _sure of it_ _._

"Good."

* * *

It was another hour before everyone began to pour out of the house, intending to go home. Hermione had enjoyed herself immensely. The brunch was as lively as ever. And Ron's coworkers weren't that bad either. But the most enjoyable part of all was her conversation with Draco. She was pleasantly surprised—she never felt as connected with another person as she was then. It was amazing. _He_ was amazing. She would love to pick up his brain on something just so they could have more conversations like the one the just had.

Hermione walked to her car slowly, still couldn't believe that she finally had someone to share a conversation with in a gathering like this. Usually, they were talking about sports—which she didn't like nor understand—or they gossiped—about who was dating who—which she just didn't care. Now though—now she wouldn't be the odd one. She cheered inwardly.

Hermione turned around, looking for a head of blond hair. He was by his car with Theo, about to enter. She debated whether to do what she was about do or not—ultimately, the desire to have more intelligent conversations won out however, and she nodded to herself. She called him then—a rather loud shout of "Draco" that made everyone looked at her. She winced at the sheer volume of her own voice—apparently, she was _very_ excited _._

She then walked quickly to him, who was standing by door of the driver seat, with Theo standing by the passenger seat. She started to get nervous the closer she was to him. She wanted to back off—but no, she was no coward. She could do this, she mentally encouraging herself, nodding firmly.

"Draco, can I borrow your phone, please?" she held her hand out expectantly, nervously biting her bottom lip—she couldn't even look at him.

"Uh, okay," Draco was confused to say the least, but he took the phone out of his pocket and put it in her hand.

She typed something on his phone, then quickly gave it back to him. "Text me" she said, before she turning around and quickly walked back to her car and got into it.

 _Text me?_ _Text me_ _?_ _? Seriously, Hermione?_ She moaned to herself. She was trying to be cool, but it was not—it was not cool at all. _W_ _hat if he th_ _ought_ _she was_ _one of those girls who wrote their number and slip it to a bloke's hand so that they got the hint and asked for a date? What if he avoided_ _her_ _because of it?_ No, it wasn't her intention at all. She just wanted to get to know him as a friend— _for now,_ her mind whispered again. _Shut up_ , she snapped back. Ugh, she was going crazy. Better get back home and take a nap. Hopefully Draco didn't take it the wrong way.

* * *

Draco was too stunned to do anything—he just stood there, gaping at her retreating back, with his phone on his still outstreched hand. A few seconds passed and someone cleared their throat, snapping him out of his daze. He turned around and saw a grinning Theo Nott whose hands were folded on the automobile roof. Draco instantly barked a "don't," while the blush started to creep up his pale cheeks.

Theo held his hands up in mock surrender, "I wasn't going to say anything," but he pressed his lips together so as to not burst out laughing.

* * *

Hermione threw herself down onto the bed with her hair half-wet—she just had a bath. She was about to close her eyes when her phone vibrated on the nightstand. She opened her eyes wider and reached out with one hand.

It was a text from an unknown number. Hermione tapped open.

 _ **+447911—:**_ _hi hermione, this is draco_

Hermione bit her lip and smiled slowly.


	5. Chapter 5

_March, 2013_

 _ **Draco:**_ _i'm reading it now_

 _ **Hermione:**_ _good. we can discuss it next_

Draco smiled, staring at the phone screen.

* * *

Hermione sighed, looking at the CV in her hand, before putting it back in the file map. She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes, thinking about her current problem.

She had been looking for a job for the past four weeks, going from one office to another. She didn't want to sit idle for long, she was itching to do something. So far, she had gone to eight companies, all with respectable reputations—but she was getting nowhere. Apparently, securing a job was not an easy feat, even with the summa cum laude GPA she had. Though the GPA certainly helped, they just kept asking about experience, of which she had none.

She thought back to the multiple interviews she had undergone (and some of the companies that didn't even grant an interview). It was not that they didn't want her, really. Some of them just didn't need more employees, while the rest were either only needed underling posts which she didn't want, or a post with no relation whatsoever with her applications.

Hermione also wanted to look for a flat of her own. She didn't want to keep living with her parents, she had missed the independence and satisfaction of living on her own since Australia. A nice, modest flat would do.

There was a knock on the door. She glanced at the clock—it was four p.m. She didn't know who it was, she rarely got a visit here. Maybe her parents' guest? Hermione patted her hair to calm its slightly wild state and eased herself out of the couch. She walked to the door and grabbed the handle.

Who she found behind the door, however, was a man with a pair of green eyes behind a pair of round spectacles— _Harry_. _Of course._ In her frustration at her lack of employment, she forgot Harry telling her he was going to visit.

She gave her best friend a one arm hug and kissed his cheek. She opened the door wider and they walked towards the living room together, where she left him to make tea.

When Hermione came back with tea and assortments, Harry was looking at her files on the table.

"Still haven't found the perfect job?" he glanced at her.

Hermione sighed softly. "It's not easy. I'm still looking," not that she thought it would be easy, but still, she had hoped.

"Look, Hermione, have you given any thought to my offer?"

This made Hermione sighed louder and pinched the bridge of her nose. They had talked about this, but Hermione immediately shot the idea down the first time because she thought it wasn't an option. "Harry, I can't. What would Draco think of me if I was to suddenly apply for a job at his company? What if he accepted me just because we were friends? It's not even that long yet that he knows me. What if the others thought that I got the job just because I knew the boss?"

"He would think that he was lucky to have you as a staff of his company" Harry answered her stream of questions simply. "With your GPA—both bachelor and master—no one would question your employment. And it wouldn't be hard to prove to them that you have every right to work there. You would be the model employee, I'm sure" he smirked a little at that, "And it wouldn't be him interviewing you, so you don't need to worry about it."

"I still don't know, Harry," she said hesitantly. Everything Harry said was true—but it didn't mean that she felt comfortable about the situation. She didn't want Draco to feel like she was taking advantage of him. She had come to really like and respect him in the short amount of time they've known each other.

"Just think about it, will you? No one will force him to accept your application—just perhaps he has the perfect spot for you," he squeezed her hand.

"I will. Thank you, Harry," she smiled and squeezed his hand back. "Now how about pizza? I'm famished."

* * *

Four weeks later, Hermione was nearly pulling her hair out. It had been two months of job hunting and four months since she graduated. She had never been patient with this kind of thing to begin with, and four months sitting idly was just too long. Two of the companies had decent offers—still, they could be better. Maybe if there was no other choice, she would take one of them. It was a no for now, though.

She also began to consider what Harry said. Maybe she could try it, she had nothing to lose after all.

Hermione took out her mobile and texted Harry.

* * *

"Harry mentioned that you're looking for a job," Draco stated, after five minutes of small talk. They were once again sitting in Harry's living room. Theo and Harry was playing with Teddy—or they just intentionally left Hermione and him alone. The tossers.

 _Ah,_ Hermione thought, starting to get nervous. "Yes. But it's a slow going."

"What position are you looking for? Maybe I can help," he offered kindly, with an open smile.

"I took HR Management mastery," she looked at him hesitantly. "Look, Draco, I don't want to be a bother. We haven't even known each other that long yet. I don't wa—"

"Hermione," he cut her off, waiting for her to look at him. "It won't be a bother. And we may not know each other that long yet, but I _know_ you. You are brilliant, persevering, tenacious, and organized. You will be an asset for whatever company you are working for," he said honestly and smiled at her to reassure her that he was not just being kind.

Hermione blushed. She tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ear and looked up at him through her lashes, "Thank you Draco."

"Don't mention it," he leaned back on the couch. "And I will definitely check the position in my office, okay? I'll get the information to you soon," he assured her.

Hermione nodded, her lips forming a crooked smile. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while before Hermione asked, "What are you doing when you're not working, Draco?"

He blinked, startled at the subject change, but then answered truthfully, "Not much. I spend some time with my mum, come here or to Theo's, and you know I paint and play the piano too—That's all, I guess."

"Having dinner with a lady isn't in your schedule?" she asked, sparing him a sly glance. She was fishing and she knew it. Truth be told, she was rather curious about his love life. She hadn't heard about it at all since she came home. She wanted to know whether there was no lady to speak of or he was just private about it.

Draco coughed then. His cheeks were adorably pink and he was looking at his hands, avoiding her eyes, when he said, "No, I uh—I'm not seeing anyone."

"Why not?" she asked lightly. His reaction to her simple question was too intriguing to pass up.

He looked highly uncomfortable with the question, and she thought that maybe her question was rather intrusive for a private guy like him. She was about to tell him that he didn't need to answer when he spoke in a guarded tone, "No girl wants—" he trailed off. He seemed to struggle with putting his thought into words, his hands gripped the couch tightly.

 _No girl wants—what?_ _Him?_ Hermione blinked, confused. Of course they wanted him. She turned her head to observe him carefully. His platinum blond hair looked as soft as silk, his steely grey eyes were enigmatic and seemed to pierce through her soul, his aristocratic nose was straight and perfect, his lips were pink and pillowy, his cheekbones high, his jaws strong, his shoulders broad and his figure lean but with hard muscles in all the right places.

 _Bloody hell, the man was striking_. She swallowed, turning her head away quickly before he noticed that she was staring— _again_.

"What do you mean they don't want—what—you? Of course they do, Draco," she said incredulously, after the fleeting pause of observation.

"What do you mean?" he asked her feebly, glancing at her before dropping his eyes again.

"I mean, look at you, Draco" she gestured to his person. "You look—" _gorgeous, stunning, alluring, captivating, enchanting, sexy, beautiful, breathtaking_ , "—you're handsome. Of course girls want to be with you," she finished helplessly, her hand fell to her side weakly, glancing away for a moment before meeting his eyes once more. She was confused and slightly panicked when her brain spouted those colorful words to describe him. _Calm down, Hermione._ She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on him again.

"Oh," his face fell after a brief pause of surprise. It wasn't the answer he was waiting for and was ridiculously disappointed by that. Flattered yes, but mostly disappointed. "I want to be with someone who wants me for me, not someone who only cares about my looks, my bank vaults, or my last name. The girls I meet tend to look at me and see the heir to the Malfoy fortune, while all I want is for them to see Draco—just Draco," he mumbled.

Hermione softened during his admission. ' _You better stop mate, before I melt into a puddle beneath your feet,'_ Hermione thought. This guy had an unbelievably soft heart. She saw the fall of his face and heard the disappointment in his voice when she said that many girls wanted to be with him because of his good looks. Her heart fluttered a little when she looked at him. The girl who ended up being with him would be very lucky indeed.

"I'm sorry Draco, I didn't mean that you only have good looks," she blushed. "I was just confused when you said that no girl wants you," she said apologetically. She stopped him when it looked like he was about to say something—probably to tell her it was okay. She took his right hand in her left gently and waited for him to look up at her. He did so, shyly, hesitantly. "You also are kind, gentle, intelligent, sweet, funny, loyal, and thoughtful. Believe me when I say that only an idiot doesn't like you for you," she said fiercely, looking deep into his eyes and holding his gaze, willing him to understand that she was being sincere.

Seconds passed and still, they kept staring at each other. Draco looked at her in a stunned silence, taken aback by the words that spilled out of her mouth, while Hermione was too lost in his stormy gaze. Soon after, though, her heart started to speed up, rousing her from the blissful trance. It was nearly impossible for her to let go of his captivating gaze, but she managed. She broke the eye contact and slowly let his hand go. Dangerous territory— _back up, girl!_

Draco stayed speechless for some time, his heart felt like it might jump from inside his chest and his palms were sweating. No one said those things to him except for his mother and Theo. And that's only because one of them was his parent and the other was his best friend.

This though, this was Hermione—the beautiful, brilliant Hermione who he secretly admired. He thought he couldn't get any redder, but apparently he was wrong. He was as red as a tomato when he finally stammered, "Thank—uh, thank you, Hermione."

Hermione just smiled and nodded, suddenly shy. Draco's shyness was contagious it seemed.

"What about you, Hermione?" he dared to ask, after he was sure that his heart wasn't in any danger of escaping his chest.

"What about me?" she asked back, confused.

"Are you seeing someone?" he started avoiding her eyes again. _Weird_. Since Ron's birthday, he no longer felt this nervous while talking to Hermione—only once or twice maybe, not during the entire conversation like this. But then again, not every day did they discuss their love life.

Hermione's demeanor changed then. She looked sad but resigned. "I—no. I mean I did, but not anymore. He left."

"Oh," he didn't know what else to say. He didn't even understand what she meant by _he left_. He wanted to ask, but her expression said that she didn't particularly care to elaborate.

He dropped his gaze to the table before him when the questions started swirling in his mind. _Just how could anyone leave Hermione?_ She was everything she had said about him and more. ' _If it were me, I would never—'_ Oh! Oh, no, no, no. He panicked inwardly. He couldn't go there. It had been years since Daphne, but the wound ran too deep. He was still afraid. He knew that Hermione was different from Daphne— _he knew—_ but what if he let himself fall and then she didn't feel the same way? _It would be Astoria all over again. It would destroy him, it would_ —

Hermione saw him fidgeting, lost in his thought. It made her confused, and she had the sudden urge to reach out and soothed his troubled mind. But she held back, she just smiled sweetly and said in a calm voice, her voice broke his train of thoughts. "It's okay, Draco. It's in the past. I don't even have any feelings left for him," and she really didn't. "I'm just sad that he destroyed our friendship is all."

"I understand," Draco nodded. He paused, contemplating something, before a slow smile made its way to his lips "Anyway, I just found this book in an old bookshop in Camden last weekend—"

Hermione smiled at him gratefully, appreciating his effort at changing the subject, before the gratefulness was replaced by genuine excitement.

* * *

Draco was eating his pasta on the kitchen counter when his phone vibrated. He swallowed the bite in his mouth and put the fork down. When he picked his phone up to check, the name that appeared on the screen was the same name which lately frequented his phone log, making one corner of his mouth lift up.

 _ **Hermione:**_ _are you still up?_

 _ **Draco:**_ _yep. what's up, hermione?_

 _ **Hermione:**_ _nothing. i just couldn't sleep, so i thought i'd just see if you're awake_

 _ **Draco:**_ _well, luckily for you, I'm some sort of nocturnal being_

 _ **Hermione:**_ _yes, yes. lucky me! *rolling my eyes here* what are you up to by the way?_

 _ **Draco:**_ _i'm eating pasta con pomodoro e basilico_

 _ **Hermione:**_ _what? it's like two a.m._

 _ **Draco:**_ _well i mean yea. but I was super hungry. there was no leftover food so i cooked myself pasta con pomodoro e basilico_

 _ **Hermione:**_ _i didn't know that you cook, mr. malfoy_

 _ **Draco:**_ _not the terribly complicated ones, no. but pasta con pomodoro e basilico is fairly simple_

 _ **Hermione:**_ _say pasta con pomodoro e basilico one more time, draco malfoy_

Draco snickered, looking at his pasta con pomodoro e basilico.

* * *

They were talking, smiling, laughing, and teasing each other on the armchairs of Harry's living room—they didn't even realize Theo was watching them from the doorway. He looked at the pair and smiled. Draco leaned towards Hermione while she was talking, listening to her intently. He began to relax more and more around her—and now it was almost like she had been here forever. Oh, he still got nervous and awkward every now and then, but that was just Draco around women he supposed. Not that Hermione seemed to mind, she just smiled sweetly every time Draco blushed and avoided her eyes.

"Draco! How can you say that? It's not that bad" Hermione exclaimed, affronted.

"You can deny it all you want, but the book is just awful and you know it" Draco grinned.

 _It wouldn't be long now,_ Theo smirked and left the bickering pair alone.

* * *

Draco just got out of the shower when someone called on his phone. The towel hung low on his hips and he was drying his hair with a slightly smaller one. He looked around to locate the phone and found it on the bed. The small towel immediately got tossed carelessly in favor of the ringing phone. He checked the caller ID and was not disappointed. It was Hermione.

"Hullo?"

"Draco—thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he heard Hermione exclaimed in an enthusiastic voice, drawing a smile out of him.

"And what would you thank me for, may I ask?"

"For the job offer, of course," like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Draco straightened, "You got it then?"

"I did!" He could practically see the grin on her face when she said that.

"Well, I'm not sure what you're thanking me for. It was all you Hermione" he answered with a grin of his own. He was happy for her. Of course he thought she deserved it. She was _brilliant_ , there was no denying it.

"I know. But still, I wouldn't have gotten it if it weren't for you."

"Nonsense. I didn't do anything," he said matter-of-factly, and then added, "And don't argue with me."

"Okay," she sighed. Just when he about to smirk smugly, she continued "But at least let me treat you to lunch sometime."

"You don't need to—but fine."

"Great!"

He was about to hang up, but decided to say one more thing, "And Hermione?"

"Yes, Draco?"

"Welcome to Malfoy Corp.," he said with a smile, which of course she couldn't see.

"Thank you," she answered with a happy sigh.

* * *

Hermione exhaled, straightened back up, and wiped the sweat on her forehead with her right hand. She looked around the flat and a satisfied smile curved her lips. After an exhausting round of decorations, finally, it was ready to be lived in.

The flat was located in the quieter part of Kingston upon Thames. Upon checking it out, she was instantly drawn by the peaceful suburban atmosphere. She could see some people cycling in the morning and afternoon. The other pro was that it wasn't terribly far from her new office either—only needed forty minutes from one to the other by the public transports, which she certainly needed because the car she usually used was her parents'.

She inspected the room once more, still with a happy smile. Admittedly, it was a little too luxurious for her taste, but she just couldn't say no to it since the first time she stepped into the modern, yet still homey flat.

The ornate high ceilings, fireplace, and large bay windows screamed elegance. The kitchen came with an American style fridge and all the latest mod cons. There were two bathrooms. The main bathroom was in her bedroom, while the second one was near the kitchen. The bedroom itself had large bay windows—similar to the ones in the living room—and a particularly big mirror at one side, making the room seem wider than its original size. She chose cream and mint green for the decorations.

There was a regular sized walked in closet and a large bathroom—which she absolutely loved—featured a mirror which covered an entire wall, a bath up large enough for two people, and a modern shower.

The last room—and what closed the deal for Hermione—was her very own library. The size was just a touch smaller than her bedroom. Stacks of books were lining up high, and there was a comfortable, light grey settee beneath the window. All in all, it was her dream flat.

"My baby is grown up," her mum's voice broke through Hermione's musing. She whirled around and saw her parents who wore sad but proud smiles, while Harry, Ron, and Ginny wore matching grins on their faces.

Hermione groaned halfheartedly, "Mum—"

"Oh, hush Hermione. Let me have this moment. It's not every day that my only daughter is moving out of the house," Helen Granger admonished her daughter lightly. "Not to mention with your new job—"

"I had my own flat in Australia" Hermione pointed out, arching her brow.

"You did. But it didn't feel so final then. Now—"

Hermione sighed. "I understand," and she did. In Australia, it didn't feel permanent—just a trial before the real thing. Now though, it seemed like she was putting down roots, learning to stand on her own two feet, away from her parents.

"Come on then, help me with drinks and snacks for the boys," Helen smiled, trying to dispel the melancholy mood her previous statement had created.

Hermione nodded, absently smoothing the wrinkles that creased her maroon blouse, then walked to the kitchen with her mum and Ginny. She hadn't really filled the cabinet for obvious reasons, so it was mostly Helen's crisps and cookies. The drinks were three bottles of beer for the male— courtesy of Dan Granger—and three glasses of orange juice for the females.

They were pouring the juice to the glasses when Hermione's phone vibrated in her pocket, startling her. The other women looked at her and Ginny arched her eyebrow, her expression questioning. Hermione silently slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled the phone out. At this, Ginny's expression change to mischievous—there was glints in her eyes that put Hermione on edge in an instant.

"Is it Draco?" Ginny's voice was entirely too excited and loud in the otherwise silent kitchen.

Hermione opened the screen lock and check the sender—It _was_ Draco. Hermione felt herself starting to blush, and she fought to tamp it down while simultaneously hiding her face behind the curtain of her hair. Still, there was the telltale sign of red creeping up her cheeks which none of the women missed, making the redhead practically bounced up and down. Since Ron's birthday, she had been subtly— _more like aggressively_ —pushing Hermione towards the gorgeous blond—asking about him randomly, dropping hints here and there, leaving them alone when they happened to be in the same room. And if Hermione was being honest— _which she wasn't_ —she didn't know how much longer she had before succumbing to the temptation and took part in Ginny's crazy plan.

"I knew it!" by now, her best friend looked entirely too gleeful for her own good. Hermione was no longer sure if the red on her cheeks was from her embarrassment of the situation or from the annoyance towards Ginny slowly building up inside her.

Helen cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the gleeful redhead and the exasperate brunette. Ginny's expression turned innocent then, though her eyes still held the same mischievous glints in them. Hermione, meanwhile, bit her bottom lip, looking at the suddenly interesting plate of cookies, while her hands fidgeted with the bottom of her blouse. Helen smiled inwardly. Her daughter was nervous, a sure sign that there was something—whether she admitted it or not—going on with the boy Ginny mentioned. She schooled her features and began questioning.

"And who is this—Draco, was it?" Helen asked, looking at the two with an arched eyebrow.

Hermione saw Ginny about to open her mouth and she hurriedly blurted out, "No one!" her voice too loud and too defensive, even for her own ears, making her wince. Before she could say more, however, the she-devil interrupted her again.

"No one? What would Draco think if he could hear you right now?" she asked in mock disappointment, complete with the shake of her head.

Hermione faltered, suddenly feeling guilty about her automatic response to the simple question. _Draco would be hurt,_ she thought. And he certainly _wasn't_ no one. In the short time they knew each other, they had grown close. She would call him a good friend—almost a best friend. Since that little heart to heart in Harry's house, they'd grown even closer. She often found herself thought about him first when she had something new to share—be it a good thing or bad. _Of course he wasn't no one!_

When she looked up, however, she was met with Helen's amused gaze—Hermione grimaced. One look to the redhead revealed her smug countenance, and Hermione realized with aggravation that the redhead had been goading her—which was a success considering her inner turmoil seconds ago. She huffed, shaking her head a little, and attempted to tell her mum about Draco with more honesty.

A smile began to form on her lips almost unconsciously every time she remembered her handsome blond friend. "He is my friend. You know Harry has a boyfriend, yea? His name is Theo, and Draco is his best friend. His mum is also Andromeda's sister, making him Teddy's cousin (or cousin once removed). He and I have become good friends since we met the first time in Harry's house three days after we moved back here. He's—he's nice, and smart, and amazing, and—and it's his company I'm currently working for," she finished lamely.

Helen was silent for some time, and Hermione fought the urge to fidget some more. "So, this boy is a good friend and even helped you with the job?" Hermione nodded. "Why is this the first time I'm hearing about him?" Hermione shrugged helplessly, guiltily. She glanced at Ginny but the redhead painstakingly maintained her innocent act, it was a miracle Hermione stayed where she was and not leapt across the table to throttle her. "Why didn't you invite him here today?" Helen's voice brought reality back to Hermione.

 _What was it they were talking about?—oh, right, Draco._ Now, this one she could answer. "I didn't want to bother him more mum. And the help here was more than enough. It's a small flat, not a three-story house," Hermione answered with a roll of her eyes.

 _She had a point_ , Helen mused. "Well, you have to introduce him to your dad and me sometime. I want to meet the boy who'd helped my daughter so much," Hermione's eyes widened and it looked like she was about argue, so Helen silence her with a look. Hermione snapped her mouth shut and nodded uncertainly. _Good._ Now, she just had to wait and see. If she was to trust her gut feeling, then there was something more between her daughter and the young man she spoke so fondly of.

* * *

Later, when the guests had left, and Hermione was once again alone, she laid on her bed, smiling at the phone screen with an open text message on it.


End file.
